Cricket habitat and retail receptacle

ABSTRACT

A live insect habitat that also serves as a retail receptacle for point of sale display of the insects. In particular, the invention comprises a cricket habitat and point of sale display receptacle for the sale of live crickets primarily for fishing bait and pet food purposes. The habitat/receptacle includes a housing having side walls with a sight window formed therein for purposes of permitting viewing of the inside of the housing and insect habitat from the outside. A habitat insert is located inside the housing and includes a multiple-sided member that partitions the interior space of the housing into discrete subspaces connected by passages giving the crickets ample room in which to crawl about. The housing and the habitat insert can be made of a moisture absorbent material in order to reduce the moisture content of the cricket environment. An item of cricket food is located in the housing whereby the retail habitat/receptacle has a prolonged shelf life while maintaining healthy live crickets.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No.10/754,290 filed Jan. 9, 2004 which application claims the benefit ofprovisional application Ser. No. 60/440,264 filed Jan. 14, 2003. Thisapplication claims the benefit of provisional application Ser. No.60/573,102 filed May 20, 2004.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Live crickets are used as bait for fishing and for pet food. There is asubstantial market for live crickets. Crickets are sold by mail orderand shipped in crowded shipping boxes. At retail crickets are typicallystored loose in a suitable bulk container such as an aquarium, woodenbox, or plastic tub. Bulk inventories of crickets take up considerableamounts of floor space. Consequently there are typically more sizes ofcrickets available for a retailer to sell than can be offered.Quantities of loose crickets are scooped or otherwise derived from theirbulk container such as an aquarium and given to the customer in aplastic bag or like receptacle. The crickets do not thrive well in thebulk container environment unless tended to with food and water on aperiodic basis. Many do not survive. Those that do may not beparticularly healthy if they have been neglected. The bulk container cancreate odor problems at the retail establishment. The display of loosecrickets can be unappealing in bulk containers. Many crickets escape andrun loose about the establishment or crawl into a neighboringestablishment. Inventory control is a problem because it is difficult toaccurately control numbers dispensed from bulk containers and because ofcricket die-offs and escapes. Dispensing crickets from a bulk containeris labor intensive for the retailer and inconvenient for both theemployee and consumer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention pertains to an insect habitat and retail receptacle forthe purpose on the one hand of providing a healthy environment habitatfor a number of live insects such as crickets and at the same timeproviding a retail point-of-sale or a mail order package for selling thecrickets. The habitat/retail package includes a box or housing with awindow or viewing opening covered by a suitable transparent materialsuch as clear plastic or tightly woven screen. A habitat insert islocated in the box. The insert is comprised of a multi-sided structurethat partitions the inside of the housing into several discretesub-spaces or compartments connected by passages. Structure of theinsert can range from that of flat fiber board pieces to a convolutedstructure having ridges or peaks and valleys that extend substantiallyfrom surface to surface of the box interior. The insert is constructedin such a way as to provide spaces for the crickets to crawl around fromone surface of the habitat insert to another. The configuration of theinsert permits insects to emerge into the light and outside view or toescape from the outside view and light from time to time as they seekout an area of comfort as their nature dictates. The insert can be of amoisture absorbent material. The insert can be a soft paper productmaterial that is favored by crickets for chewing. The insert can be madeof a nutritious material that can be consumed by the crickets.Nourishment in the form of a supply of food and water can be placedinside the box. A high moisture content food item such as a piece ofcarrot or commercially available cricket food can be placed inside ofthe box. The high moisture food item can be partially wrapped to retardmoisture loss through evaporation.

The cricket habitat/package has an extended shelf life. The crickets areun-crowded and have continuous access to a food and water source thatresults in a generally healthier and “gut-loaded” cricket that is morenutritious to the animal being fed. The habitat/prepackage is a way todisplay and sell live crickets without the need to carry a bulkinventory of crickets. The habitat/package allows retailers to sell manycricket sizes where space considerations make similar bulk loosedisplays impractical. The prepackaged cricket habitats can be sold froma dispenser on a self-serve basis by which boxes are loaded into thedispenser from the top and dispensed from the bottom. This results inrotation of the stock. This also eliminates the need for an employeediversion to dispense crickets from a bulk container.

The housing can be made difficult to open so as to be tamper proof. Thecrickets, however, are clearly visible through the window of thehousing. The housing can have a perforated punch-out opening pattern ina wall. The opening can be punched out when the box is placed in a petenvironment where the crickets are intended as pet food. The cricketsexit the box through the punched out opening over a period of timeeffectively managing the dispersion of pet food into the petenvironment. When fed in this way, the pet environment is kept clean ofthe waste products like cricket feces, shed skins, food, and beddingthat would normally be introduced when crickets are shaken from theircontainer into an animal's living area.

The habitat insert in the box provides a climbing and nesting habitatfor the crickets. It also provides areas and spaces for the morevulnerable crickets to hide from the others and from view through thewindow. The material of the insert and of the box absorbs and dispersescondensation as may develop during shipping or as may be generated bylive insects or the food and water supplement in the box. The windowcovering can be made of a micro-pore material that allows the escape ofmoisture. The window covering can be made of a tightly woven screen todo the same. The box and the insert provide dark areas for the cricketsto escape from the light and from one another. Crickets generate organicdebris in the form of shed skin and body waste as well as spent food andchewed bedding. The box can have collector panels or surfaces carrying alow tack adhesive that will collect and hold the debris so that it isnot dispensed with the crickets. The adhesive is tacky enough to collectthe debris but light enough so as not to inhibit cricket movement aboutthe interior of the box.

The habitat insert creates additional surface area inside the boxavailable for crickets to nest and climb upon. The insert helps the boxto keep its shape and from being crushed, lending support fromtop-to-bottom, side-to-side and end to end.

According to another form of the invention a cricket habitat/retailpackage has a cylindrical housing. A convoluted habitat insert can belocated in the housing. An adhesive tacky enough to collect the debrisbut light enough so as not to inhibit cricket movement about theinterior of the box can be applied to the interior of the box. An endcover to the housing has a window for viewing the interior of thehousing.

IN THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is perspective view of a cricket habitat/retail package accordingto one form of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the cricket habitat/retail package of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the cricket habitat/retail package of FIG.2 taken along the line 3-3 thereof;

FIG. 4 is a view of the end of the box of the cricket habitat of FIG. 1in an open configuration to show the closure system thereof;

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of a dispenser holding a number ofcricket habitat/retail packages of FIG. 1 displayed for retail sale;

FIG. 6 is a side view in perspective of a cricket habitat/retail packageaccording to a second form of the invention;

FIG. 7 is an end view of the cricket habitat/retail package of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the cricket habitat/retail package of FIG.7 taken along the line 8-8 thereof showing a cover removed;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the cricket habitat/retail package of FIG.6 taken along the line 9-9 thereof;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a modification of the crickethabitat/retail package of FIG. 1 with the habitat insert omitted forpurposes of clarity;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the crickethabitat/retail package of FIG. 10 taken along the line 11-11 thereof;

FIG. 12 is another view of the cricket habitat/retail package of FIG. 10with an insert included showing an end panel closed and a punch-outopening created in a housing wall;

FIG. 13 is a view of a cricket habitat/retail package having amodification of a habitat insert and having a portion of the packagehousing removed for purposes of illustration;

FIG. 14 is a view in perspective of a habitat/retail package havinganother modification of a habitat insert;

FIG. 15 is a sectional view of the habitat/retail package of FIG. 14taken along the line 15-15 thereof;

FIG. 16 is an end view of a habitat/retail package with a modified endclosure having a tear-away strip;

FIG. 17 is an end view of the habitat/retail package of FIG. 16 with thetear-away strip removed and preparatory to re-closing the box; and

FIG. 18 is an end view of the habitat/retail package of FIG. 17 closed.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4, there is shown an insect habitat andretail package indicated generally at 10. As described herein habitat 10houses crickets although habitat 10 could house other species of insectas well. Habitat 10 includes a housing 12. Housing 12 can be formed of amoisture absorbent material such as a paperboard material. The termpaperboard is used comprehensively to include, without limitation,cardboard, fiberboard, and similar products made from cellulose fiberand having a thickness greater than normal paper. Housing 12 can befabricated of other material fabricated to permit the escape of moisturefrom the interior of the housing. This could include, for example, aperforated plastic. Housing 12 has an interior space or room forhabitation by crickets. Housing 12 has a front wall 14, a back wall 16,a top wall 18 and a bottom wall 20 which define the interior habitatspace for insects. The various walls are opaque. Housing 12 has endopenings closed by end walls 22, 24 formed of end wall panels as will bemore fully described. The end walls can be glued or constructed to foldtogether in such a way as to seal the package. The box can be of varyingdimensions such as 1″ to 3″ high, 3″ to 5″ wide and 2″ to 4″ deep. Byway of example, the box can typically be 3″×4″×2″ and house 25 to 50crickets.

Housing 12 has a sight window 27 for viewing crickets. Sight window 27is a corner window. The sight window 27 is comprised of a first cutoutopening 28 in the top wall 18 and an adjoining second cutout opening 30in the front wall 14. A transparent material 32 covers the opening. Thetransparent material can be a continuous clear transparent paper orplastic material covering the cutout openings and traversing the cornerformed at top wall 18 and front wall 14. Alternatively the coveringmaterial can be a tightly woven screen. The sight window 27 admits lightand enables viewing of a portion of the interior of the housing 12 fromthe outside. The sight window can by way of example be 2″ to 4″ wide andhave a dimension of 1″ to 2″ on the front wall of the housing, and 1½″to 2½″ on the top wall.

In certain environments moisture accumulation in the air inside ofhousing 12 can be problematic. Crickets do not like moisture. Themoisture can collect on an impermeable sight window covering materialmade of transparent plastic. Debris in the housing can adhere to thiscondensation. When the condensation dries, the debris is stuck to thewindow covering rendering it unsightly. One way to address this problemis through a window covering formed of a tightly woven mesh. Another wayis through the use of a transparent covering material 32 formed of aplastic or plastic-like micro-pore material having micro-perforations ofa size suitable to permit the escape of moisture from the interior ofhousing 12. Such a material can have micro-perforations in the order ofmagnitude of 70 micron to 300 micron. The micro-perforations serve tolet moisture out of the housing 12. At the same time condensation ofmoisture on the inside of the window is avoided.

A cricket habitat environment is provided by a multisided habitat insertlocated inside the housing 12. The purpose of the habitat insert is todivide the space inside housing 12 into habitat spaces or compartmentsthat are connected but separated from one another so as to providemultiple nesting areas for the crickets as well as areas of escape forthe crickets from other crickets and from the light. The compartmentsare divided in such a manner that at least one compartment is shieldedfrom direct light entering through the window 27 to provide at least onesubdued lighting environment for the crickets.

As shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, housing 12 has a habitat insert 34.Insert 34 substantially fills housing 12 from side-to-side, end-to-endand top-to-bottom. Insert 34 is a multi-sided partition of thin wallsthat can have flat, curved or convoluted surfaces or combinationsthereof. Insert 34 can have a surface roughness 35. In the embodiment ofFIGS. 1 through 3 insert 34 has a convoluted or egg carton shapestructure. Habitat insert 34 formed this way has top and bottom surfacescharacterized by peaks or ridges 36, 40 separated by valleys 38.

Housing 12 with insert 34 provides an ideal environment for crickets.The insert can be loosely disposed inside the housing 12 or can beconstructed in such a way with formed holes or cutout openings as toprovide access passages such as the passage 44 (FIG. 3) for crickets 43to move from one surface area to another. The insert 34 offers a largesurface area for the crickets 43 to crawl about. Crickets are known tobe omnivorous whereby more dominant crickets will eat more vulnerableones. The various surfaces of habitat insert 34 and the access passages44 permit the more vulnerable crickets to escape to other areas. Theinsert partitions the interior of housing 12 into a multiple ofsubspaces or separate but connected compartments 42 for the crickets.Some compartments are more shielded than others from light entering thewindow opening. The various areas of insert 34 provide dark areas forlive crickets 43 as well as areas of subdued light, both of which arepreferred by crickets.

The material of the insert 34 can be moisture absorbent to absorbcondensation that may develop in the package during shipping orotherwise. The insert 34 adds a measure of rigidity to the housing 12 byspanning the interior volume thereof. This is useful in terms ofshipping the item and inventorying and dispensing the item in a store.

Insert 34 can be manufactured from a nutritious edible material such asa heavy gauge rice paper or wafer paper. As crickets are prone to chewthe insert material, the provision of nutritious material is beneficialto the insects and consequently to animals they feed.

Food and water are provided in the housing 12. These can take the formof a high moisture food item such as a piece of carrot or such as thecricket food item indicated at 46 in FIG. 3. Crickets with such a foodsupply can survive for a period of at least seven days. The food supplycan be periodically replenished. This prolongs the shelf-life of theproduct.

Food item 46 provides nourishment in the form of food and moisture.Water can evaporate from the exposed food item which can leave it dryand unappetizing to the cricket as well as depriving the cricket ofneeded water. As shown in FIG. 3 a wrap 47 can partially cover the fooditem 46 but leave portions exposed and accessible to the crickets. Thewrap 47 can extend around the food item but leave the ends exposed. Wrap47 can be formed of a suitable material such as a thin plastic sheet.Wrap 47 alternatively can be applied to the food and water supplement inthe form of a suitable impermeable spray, or by dipping or by paintedcoating. Wrap 47 retards moisture loss from the food item throughevaporation. This results in a longer lasting food item and extends theshelf life of the insect habitat/retail package.

It is desirable to eliminate pin-point light spots in housing 12 of thetype that occurs at closure corners. Crickets are attracted to suchlight spots and tend to chew there and then escape through the chewedopening. The end walls of housing 12 and insert 34 contained in housing12 address this problem.

As shown in FIG. 4, end wall 22 closes an end opening 23 to housing 12.End wall 22 includes opposing end panels 50, 52 that are pivotallyattached to the edges of front and back walls 14, 16 adjacent endopening 23 and are positioned to fold over the end opening 23. Each ofthe end panels 50, 52 has a sufficient length and width to cover the endopening 23 when folded over it.

Top and bottom panels 54, 56 are connected to the edges of the top andbottom walls 18, 20 of housing 12 adjacent the end opening 23 and arefoldable over the end panels. Bottom panel 56 has a length and width tosubstantially cover the end opening 23 when folded over the end panels50, 52. Bottom panel 56 has an outer lip 58 that is inserted between theedges of the end panels in the closed position and the adjacent part oftop wall 18.

Top panel 54 has tapered edges ending in a tongue 60 and is adapted tobe folded over the end panels 50, 52 and bottom panel 56. A slot 62 islocated at the intersection of the bottom panel 56 and the bottom wall20. When the top panel 54 is folded over the end opening 23, the tongue60 can be inserted into the slot 62 in order to secure closure 22 in theclosed position. When closed light leakage is substantially eliminated.

FIG. 5 shows a dispenser indicated generally at 61 for the crickethabitat/retail package of FIG. 1. The dispenser 61 includes a long,upright dispenser carton 62 having a rectangular cross-section withinterior dimensions sufficient to accommodate the cricket habitat/retailpackages 10. Dispenser carton 62 has a front wall 64, side walls 66connected to a back wall (not shown). A hinged lid 68 closes the topopening formed at the top of the front, side and back walls. Opening thehinged lid 68 permits loading the dispenser carton 62 with packages 10to be displayed for resale. A bottom wall 70 supports packages 10 heldin the dispenser.

Front wall 64 has sight slots 72 for viewing packages 10 stored in thedispenser 61. Slots 72 also allow direct air exchange to vent air ontoand moisture away from packages 10 stored in the dispenser. A dispensingopening 74 is located at the lower end of front wall 64. Dispensingopening 74 is large enough to permit packages 10 to be withdrawn ordispensed one at a time from the dispenser housing 62. As a package isremoved from the dispensing opening 74 the next package drops down tothe position of the previously withdrawn one. There is a continualrotation of stock. The carton 62 can be hung on a wall or placed in astand and used as a self-service display. The carton covers the cornersof the boxes that might otherwise permit light seepage. Darkened cornersprovide no incentive for crickets to chew isolated points. This reducesthe likelihood of escape by way of chewing out of the box.

FIGS. 6 through 9 show a further embodiment of a cricket habitat/retailpackage according to the invention indicated generally at 80. Crickethabitat 80 includes a cylindrical box or housing 82 formed of fiberboard or a material having properties similar to fiber board. Housing 82is moisture absorbent and has opaque cylindrical sidewalls 84. A habitatinsert 86 is located inside housing 82. Habitat insert 86 is aconvoluted sheet material extending from side-to-side across theinterior of housing 82 and is formed with openings or in such a way asto allow insects to crawl from one surface to another. Insert 86 hasconvolutions 88 providing a large surface area on which the livecrickets 90 can crawl about. The ends of insert 86 are spaced from theends of housing 80 permitting crickets 90 to crawl from one surface ofthe habitat insert 86 to the other. A food item 92 is lodged in thehabitat insert 86. Sidewalls 84 and habitat insert 86 are a moistureabsorbent material for purposes previously described.

Cricket habitat 80 includes a removable cover 94 secured in a first endof housing 82. Cover 94 is circular and frictionally fits in the openend of housing 82. Cover 94 includes a rim 96 that frictionally engagesthe interior walls of housing 82 at the end thereof. Rim 96 surrounds acover base 98. Cover base 98 is a sight window formed of a transparentmaterial such as a transparent plastic or tightly woven screen so as topermit viewing of crickets inside the housing 82 from the exteriorthereof. Cover rim 96 and cover base 98 can be formed of a single pieceof transparent material.

The second end of housing 82 is closed. It can be closed by a secondfriction-fit removable cover 102. Second cover 102 can be transparent oropaque. Alternatively the second end of housing 82 can be closed by apermanent closure means.

FIGS. 10 and 12 show a modification of the insect habitat and retailpackage of FIG. 1 indicated generally at 10A. In FIG. 10 the habitatinsert is removed for purposes of clarity. The package 10A includes ahousing 12A with an interior space for habitation by the insects. Thehousing 12A has a front wall 14, a top wall 18 and a sight window 27. Anend of the housing or box 12A is closable by opposing end panels 50, 52attached to the edges of the front and back walls of the housing 12A forfolding between open and closed positions. Top and bottom panels 54, 56Aare connected to the edges of the top and bottom walls 18, 20 of housing12 and are foldable over the end panels as previously described.

A perforated pattern for a punch-out egress opening is formed in a wallof the housing 12A. The purpose of an egress opening is to allow thecrickets to exit the housing 12A one at a time in a contained petenvironment as opposed to simply broadcasting the crickets about the petenvironment. Reptile pets such as lizards enjoy stalking food prey. Anegress opening from the habitat housing will provide amusement to thereptile that will excitedly monitor the opening waiting for prey.Alternatively the egress opening permits a user to shake the housing 12Ain salt-shaker like fashion to distribute crickets in a desired amountand location.

A punch-out egress opening pattern can be located on any convenient wallof housing 12A. As shown in FIG. 10, a punch-out egress opening pattern108 is formed in the bottom panel 56A of one of the end closures of thehousing 12A. The punch-out pattern includes a perforation line 109 thatdescribes an intended opening, and a linear fold line 110. The ends ofperforation line 109 connect to the ends of fold line 110. Theperforation line 109 describes a closed pattern with the fold line 110in the shape of the intended egress opening.

Until use the area described by the perforation line 109 is intact withthe rest of the bottom panel 56A. At the time of use, pressure isapplied to the area bordered by the perforation line 109. Referring toFIG. 12, under the influence of pressure applied, the perforation linegives way to form a door 112 which can be pivoted about the fold line110 to create an egress opening 113. Alternatively the perforation line109 could describe the entire intended egress opening whereby the door112 would simply be completely punched out and removed.

As shown in FIG. 12, the bottom panel 56A is moved to coveringrelationship over the open end of housing 12A with the remaining endpanels 50, 52, 54 out of the way. Crickets 115 can randomly exit thehousing 12A by wandering through the egress opening 113. Crickets canalso be distributed by shaking the housing 12A with the egress opening113 facing down so that the crickets fall out.

Insects including crickets generate a considerable amount of debris inthe form of shed skin and organic waste. In the confined space ofhousing 12A such debris can accumulate and become undesirableparticularly upon dispensing the crickets from the box. The housing 12Aincludes one or more collector surfaces or panels to collect andaccumulate the debris. As shown in FIG. 10, the housing 12A includes afirst collector surface or panel 118 installed on the interior surfaceof an end panel 52 which will face the interior of housing 12A whenclosed. A second collector panel 119 is located on the bottom wall 20 ofhousing 12A and is exposed to the interior thereof. A collector panelcan be located on any convenient exposed interior surface includingexposed interior walls or the surfaces of the habitat insert.

Each collector panel includes a cold or light adhesive layer to attachand collect insect debris. The adhesive is a low tack adhesive that doesnot stick very strongly. The adhesive is tacky enough to adhere to andcollect the insect debris, but not so adherent as to unduly impede themovement of the crickets in the housing.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the collector panel 118 includes asubstrate or carrier 121 fixed to the interior surface of the end panel52. The carrier 121 carries an adhesive layer 120 of the type describedabove. The adhesive layer is effective to collect insect debris 122 sothat it will not tumble about and out of the interior of housing 12Awhile not unduly inhibiting insect movement about the housing 12A. A lowtack adhesive approximately as tacky as that used on Post-It Note® brandnote pads has been found to be satisfactory.

Alternatively a collector panel can be comprised of an adhesive layerapplied directly to a surface in lieu of being applied to a substratefixed surface. The adhesive of collector panel 119 is applied directlyto the surface of the housing wall 20 by suitable means such as brushingor spraying.

FIG. 13 shows a further embodiment of a cricket habitat and retailreceptacle indicated generally at 10B. Package 10B has a housing 12Bthat contains a habitat insert 124. Habitat insert 124 is comprised ofinsert panels 125, 126. A first panel 125 extends from an upper rearcorner of the housing 12B to a lower forward corner. The second panel126 extends from the upper forward corner of the housing 12B to thelower rear corner. The panels centrally intersect. The panels canintersect by engagement of centrally located mutually aligned slots 128.Together the panels 125, 126 substantially fill the interior of thehousing 12B and partition it into separate habitat compartments, one ormore being shielded from direct light entering the window 27. Openings129 are formed at various locations in the panels 125, 126 in order toprovide passages from one compartment to another. The habitat insertpanels 125, 126 can be formed of a moisture absorbent paperboard productas previously described, or an edible material that is nutritious forthe crickets. The partitions can have a thickness that is approximatelyequal to that of the thickness of the sidewalls of the housing 12B.

FIGS. 14 and 15 show another embodiment of a cricket habitat and retailreceptacle. Habitat 10C includes a box-like housing 12C with a sightwindow 27. A habitat insert 131 is located in the housing 12C. Habitatinsert 131 includes a partition panel 132 that spans the width ofhousing 12C and extends from the upper rear corner to the lower forwardcorner. A rear leg 134 extends from the upper edge of the partitionpanel 132 horizontally to the lower rear corner of housing 12C. Foot 135extends forward from the lower edge of the leg 134. The leg 134 and foot135 serve to support partition panel 132 in place in the housing 12C. Apassage opening 138 is provided to permit the cricket to travel from onepartitioned area of housing 12C to another.

The front face of the partition panel 132 can carry a design such as thecamouflage design shown in FIG. 14 for viewing through the window 27.The camouflage design can take the form of foliage such as leaves alongwith crickets crawling among the leaves. The camouflage design isaesthetically pleasing and conveys to the prospective customer thenature of the habitat/retail package 10C.

An alternative end closure for the cricket habitat/retail receptacle isshown in FIGS. 16-18. A housing 12D has an outer end panel 140. Thelower edge 143 of panel 140 is glued to the next adjacent panel 148 tosecurely close the end of the box. Panel 140 includes a tear strip 141that extends horizontally across the width of the end panel 140. Anupper perforation line 142 and a lower perforation line 144 define tearstrip 141. The upper perforation line 142 is indented to define aclosure tab 145. The next adjacent panel 148 has a horizontal slot 147.The slot 147 is positioned to receive the closure tab 145.

In use, the retail receptacle package initially has the tear strip 141intact on the outer panel 140. In lieu of having to rip the panels apartagainst the glue, the tear strip 141 is simply torn away from the outerpanel 140. The upper portion of the panel 140 can be pivoted away fromthe box end. The remaining end panels can be folded open for access tothe interior of the housing 12D.

The housing 12D is closed by folding the upper panel on 140 to aposition where the closure tab 145 is poised over and inserted into theclosure slot 147.

1-54. (canceled)
 55. An insect habitat and point-of-sale packagecomprising: a housing having a top wall, a bottom wall and fourgenerally perpendicular side walls that define an interior habitat spacefor insects; a habitat insert integral with and inside the housing, saidinsert comprising a multisided structure partitioning the habitat spaceto accommodate insects residing in the habitat space; and at least oneof the top wall or the four generally perpendicular side walls beingtransparent to allow viewing of insects occupying the habitat space andhaving perforations formed therein for allowing air to enter andmoisture laden air to leave the habitat space.
 56. The insect habitat ofclaim 55 wherein the housing walls are made of a paperboard material.57. The insert habitat of claim 55 wherein the housing walls areplastic.
 58. The insect habitat of claim 56 wherein at least one of thepaperboard housing walls includes the transparent portion.
 59. Theinsect habitat of claim 55 wherein the habitat insert is formed of amoisture absorbent material.
 60. The insect habitat of claim 59 whereinthe habitat insert fits loosely in the housing permitting insects tomove between the plurality of discrete subspaces.
 61. The insect habitatof claim 55 wherein more than one of the four mutually perpendicularside walls includes said perforations.
 62. An insect habitat andpoint-of-sale package comprising: a housing defining an interior habitatspace, said housing incorporating a transparent surface defining aviewing window; and a habitat insert of a moisture absorbent materialdisposed in the habitat space, the insert comprising a multisidedstructure defining peaks and valleys that partition the habitatstructure into a plurality of interconnected subspaces between whichinsects occupying the habitat may travel.
 63. The insect habitat ofclaim 62 wherein the housing is generally cylindrical in shape.
 64. Theinsect habitat of claim 62 wherein the housing comprises a rectangularparallelepiped.
 65. The insect habitat of claim 63 wherein the housingincludes a transparent portion whereby insects within the interiorhabitat can be viewed.
 66. The insect habitat of claim 64 wherein theinsects within the interior habitat can be viewed through thetransparent surface.
 67. The insect habitat of claim 63 wherein thehousing includes a removable cap.
 68. The insect habitat of claim 62wherein the housing includes perforations leading to the interiorhabitat to allow ingress and egress of air therethrough.
 69. The insecthabitat of claim 66 wherein the housing includes perforations leading tothe interior habitat to allow ingress and egress of air therethrough.70. The insect habitat of claim 62 wherein the housing is fabricatedfrom paperboard.
 71. The insect habitat of claim 62 wherein the housingis fabricated from plastic.
 72. An insect retail package comprising: ahousing having an interior habitat space for insects, the housing havingat least one opening; a habitat insert inside the housing, the insertshaped to provide an insect terrain and also provide shade from directlight for the insects; and a cover which can be removably placed overthe housing opening.
 73. The package of claim 72, wherein the housing isopaque.
 74. The package of claim 72, wherein the housing and habitatinsert are formed integrally.
 75. The package of claim 72, furthercomprising a food insert.
 76. The package of claim 72, furthercomprising a perforated punch-out in the housing.
 77. The package ofclaim 76, wherein the punch out can be punched out to create an egressopening to allow insects move through the punch out.